Why MFA Isn’t Bulletproof – And How We Respond to Email Account Breaches

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is one of the strongest ways to protect your email accounts — but unfortunately, even MFA isn’t completely foolproof. At Excelero IT Solutions, we want you to be aware of how cybercriminals are evolving and what we do to keep your business safe if an account is ever compromised.

🎯 How Hackers Can Bypass MFA

Hackers have developed advanced phishing and impersonation methods to get around MFA protection. Here are some of the most common tactics:

• Real-Time Phishing Attacks (AiTM)
  Hackers set up fake Microsoft login pages that forward your credentials (and MFA code) to the real site in real-time. Once you approve the MFA request, they steal your session and gain access.
• MFA Fatigue Attacks
  Attackers bombard users with multiple MFA prompts hoping they’ll eventually approve one out of frustration or confusion.
• Malicious App Consent (OAuth phishing)
  You may get a prompt to “approve” an app that appears to be from Microsoft. If accepted, it can read or send email on your behalf — without needing your password again.
• Legacy Protocol Abuse
  Some older email systems (like IMAP or POP) don’t support MFA. If these are enabled, hackers can use just your password to log in.

🛡️ What We Do if an Account is Compromised

At Excelero IT, we follow a strict response process to contain and recover from a compromised account:

1. Immediate Password Reset
   We reset the password and require the user to change it securely.
2. Revoke Active Sessions
   We terminate all active logins to kick out any unauthorized users.
3. Remove Suspicious Mail Rules
   Hackers often set rules to forward or hide emails. We check and remove any they’ve created.
4. Reset MFA & App Access
   We reset the MFA device and remove any unauthorized apps or permissions.
5. Check for Unusual Sign-Ins
   We review login activity to identify how and where the breach occurred.
6. Scan the Device
   We run antivirus and malware checks to ensure the user’s device is clean.
7. User Education & Recovery
   We speak with the affected user, provide training if needed, and help them safely resume work.
8. Identify and notify sent email and warn them
   We use Exchange email records to identify where and malicious email have been sent from the compromised account and create an email to warn them not to open it.

✅ How We Prevent It from Happening Again

We proactively harden your environment with:

• Microsoft-recommended MFA policies
• Conditional Access rules to block logins from suspicious countries
• Safe Link and Safe Attachment scanning
• External email tagging to highlight impersonation attempts
• Blocking risky legacy protocols like IMAP and POP

🧠 Stay Vigilant – We’ve Got Your Back

While MFA dramatically reduces the risk of account compromise, it’s not invincible. That’s why Excelero IT goes the extra mile with layered security, real-time monitoring, and a fast, professional response if anything goes wrong.

If you ever get a suspicious email or login prompt — don’t approve it. Contact us first.